Justice Systems of Indian Nations

Tribal Courts

This page provides links to official tribal court websites. In addition, it provides general information on justice systems of Tribal nations. For information on Tribal Constitutions or Tribal Codes, please see those specific pages.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs proposes to Amend its Regulations Governing the Courts of Indian Offenses (otherwise known as CFR Courts). This amendment will clarify the authority of the Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs to establish the courts, the jurisdiction of the courts, its relationship to tribal governments and the Department of the Interior, and to provide those courts with an updated code of laws.

Tribal Courts (from the Internet Archive) is a site provided by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and contains information concerning specific tribal courts. The information, accessed by BIA areas, includes tribal court name, address, phone number, and fax number. The names of tribal court judges are also included. The New Mexico Criminal Justice Directory has a Listing of Tribal Courts in New Mexico on their site. For another on-line listing of tribal court contact information - see National Tribal Justice Resource Center Listing.

Courts of Indian Offenses

    (1) Te-Moak Band of Western Shoshone Indians (Nevada);
    (2) Ute Mountain Ute Tribe (Colorado);
    (3) Tribes located in the former Oklahoma Territory (Oklahoma) that are listed in paragraph (b) of this section;
    (4) Tribes located in the former Indian Territory (Oklahoma) that are listed in paragraph (c) of this section;
    (5) Winnemucca Indian Tribe; and
    (6) Santa Fe Indian School Property, including the Santa Fe Indian Health Hospital, and the Albuquerque Indian School Property (land held in trust for the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico).
(b) This part applies to the following tribes located in the former Oklahoma Territory (Oklahoma):
    (1) Apache Tribe of Oklahoma;
    (2) Caddo Nation of Oklahoma;
    (3) Comanche Nation;
    (4) Delaware Nation;
    (5) Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma;
    (6) Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma;
    (7) Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Oklahoma; and
    (8) Wichita and Affiliated Tribes of Oklahoma.
(c) This part applies to the following tribes located in the former Indian Territory (Oklahoma):
    (1) Choctaw Nation;
    (2) Seminole Nation;
    (3) Eastern Shawnee Tribe;
    (4) Miami Tribe;
    (5) Modoc Tribe;
    (6) Ottawa Tribe;
    (7) Peoria Tribe;
    (8) Quapaw Tribe; and
    (9) Wyandotte Nation.

National Tribal Justice Organizations

The National American Indian Court Judges Association (NAICJA) is a national voluntary association (non-profit corporation since 1969) of Tribal Court judges. The Association is primarily devoted to the support of American Indian and Alaska Native justice systems through education, information sharing, and advocacy. The mission of the Association, as a national membership organization, is to strengthen and enhance tribal justice systems. NAICJA's site contains the following:

The National Tribal Justice Resource Center was established by the National American Indian Court Judges Association (NAICJA) under a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) of the U.S. Department of Justice on September 1, 2000, and was the culmination of years of advocacy and work to fulfill the dream of providing a source of daily support and assistance to tribal justice systems nationwide. If you work in a tribal court and require assistance, you may email Tina Farrenkopf or Vince Knight or call the center toll free at 877-97NTJRC. Some of the links on this site are:

National Association of Tribal Court Personnel (NATCP), formerly the National Association of Tribal Court Clerks, is a voluntary association of tribal court personnel. NATCP can be reached at the following:

NATCP
c/o Hon. Robert Miller, President
National Association of Tribal Court Personnel
1920 Spring Creek Circle
Green Bay, Wisconsin 54311
Phone: (920) 468-8197
Fax: (920) 468-8198
Email: RMJ143@compuserve.com

DC Native American Bar Association (NABA DC) is established to promote the education and advancement of Native American, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian political and legal issues.

Minnesota American Indian Bar Association (MAIBA) is a non-profit organization of American Indian attorneys and law students, non-Indian attorneys and law students who are interested in Indian law, and American Indians who serve as advocates, prosecutors or judicial officers in tribal courts.

Native American Bar Association (NABA) serves as the national association for Native American attorneys, judges, law professors and law students. Founded in 1973 as the American Indian Lawyers Association, NABA works to promote issues important to the Native American community and works to improve professional opportunities for Native American lawyers. NABA strives to be a leader on social, cultural, political and legal issues affecting American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians.

Navajo Nation Bar Association (NNBA) was established by the Judges of the Navajo Nation Courts on October 18, 1978, who recognized a need for a properly organized bar association to regulate the practice of law, administer bar examinations, and to promote the professionalism of the practice of law in the Navajo Nation. For over twenty years, the NNBA has been an association of attorneys and tribal court advocates.

Northwest Indian Bar Association (NIBA) is a non-profit organization comprised of Indian attorneys and judges in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, and in spirit in British Columbia and the Yukon Territory, which aspires to improve the legal and political landscape for the Pacific Northwest Indian Country.

National Native American Law Students Association was founded in 1970 to promote the study of federal Indian law and to support Native American students in law school. NNALSA strives to reach out to Native communities and encourages Native People to pursue legal education and to educate the legal community about Native issues.

Oklahoma Indian Bar Association is comprised of Attorneys, Judges, Law Students, & Tribal Court Clerks dedicated to the advancement of Indian law in Oklahoma.

Tribal Police Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police is a voluntary association of tribal law enforcement which can be reached at the following:

Dorothy Lameman Fulton, Chief
Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations
Post Office Box 3360
Window Rock, Arizona 86515

Southwest Intertribal Court of Appeals (SWITCA) is a voluntary court of appeals available to tribes in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and west Texas, and posts SWITCA Rules of Appellate Procedure.

Tribal Courts

Courts of Indian Offenses

National Tribal Justice Organizations

QUICK LINKS

Federal Agencies

Native Organizations